Fahrenheit 451 Use Of Technology

Technology has magnificent impact on human lives. When it benefits, creates many positive effects in our lives, but when misuse of technology occurs it can destroy the lives. Author Ray Bradbury in “Fahrenheit 451” describes such a phenomenon use of technology, and its impact on Montag’s town is an incredible experience to go through by reading. Bradbury uses appropriate symbols such as Mechanical Hound in order to control society as physically, Television walls broadcasting commercial, and Seashell Radio which gives instructions to influence people mentally, and firemen who use technology in contrast to present firemen’s use of devices. Mechanical hound, which has green-blue, neon light
in its eyes which flickers when eye balls are activated. At night, “Light flickered on bits of ruby glass and on sensitive capillary hairs in the nylon-brushed nostrils of the creature that quivered gently, gently, its eight legs spidered under it on rubber-padded paws”(24). Also, this monstrous hound possesses silver needle which injects anesthetic medicine to the culprit who reads or retains books. Hound targets people by their scents, even distance homes hound can recognize if house has stored, or hidden books, and cuts off to the targets. “Its calculators can be set to any combination, so many amino acids, so much sulphur, so much butterfat and alkaline. Right?” (26) ,Montag asked to his boss Beatty when second time it threatened to him. And the extreme an incident happened when fire station gets alarmed from Montag’s house, and firemen destroyed his house and attacked on Montag, in return Montag also killed them. But when Montag turns around he sees, “…moving with such a drifting ease that it was like a single solid cloud of black-gray smoke blown at him in silence”(190). Hound attacked and injected procaine needle in to Montag’s leg, on the other hand Montag also burned Hound with the fire,”…and blew out its interior in a single flushing of red color like a skyrocket fastened to the street”(190). Thus, technology can create enormous destruction if you misuse it. Even though, Bradbury’s major description in “Fahrenheit 451” is about disadvantage of technology, but at the same time, he also mentions about Seashell Radio which is works both ways an advantage and disadvantage of technology.
Television walls, suppresses people’s interest of book reading, going out and enjoy the nature, having people’s own point of view. Thus people’s thoughts, their imaginations, their creativity, or their own beliefs everything has replaced by T.V. commercials which mentally control the mass of people, to the extend people did not have their individual thinking. For example, Montag’s wife Mildred swallows a bottle of pills which can kill the person. “Her face was like a snow-covered island upon which rain might fall, but it felt no rain;’(13). Here under the influence of commercials her mind couldn’t think that what is right and what is wrong! Utmost And worst case was when her husband was dealing with fear of death and losing their home and valuables, but Midred was busy to fill up scrambler words with television announcer. That is an uttermost movement which reveals the disadvantage of technology can make mentally disables human being. In the contrast, with the help of Seashell Radio Montag gets useful instructions by Faber.” Far away across town in the night, the finest whisper of a turned page”?(93). Through radio Faber reads book and Montag listens even though he is sleeping. The conversation between them shows how you
can use a technology in a positive manner. Thus, it is indicating that technology is there it depends to get advantage, or disadvantage out of it. Though, firemen should set off the fire not set on, while in Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the world is reversed.
The society is trained to go against the knowledge from the books, individual thinking, or to go out to understand and enjoy the nature. “The books lay like great mount of fishes left to the dry”(38). The old lady, her life’s enjoyment is book reading and when firemen come her house she has chosen to give up her life along with her books and by herself she ignites the match. In normal society, in this situation firemen will come to save the life. In contrast, they come to destroy old lady’s books and other valuables. We never believe that people will use the technology to kill innocent person. In Montag’s town firemen use their alarm system to get information so they can reach to destroy people’s houses and kill person with their blazing fire hoses. There is no exception for even their colleagues. Montag also loses his house; he also gets an anesthetic injection by Mechanical Hound. And not only that but also he is on run to save his life from his own peers!!!As being a citizen of this bizarre society he cannot possesses or read books and reading books considered an offence and as a fireman its his duty to destroy books. Montag was fireman who suppose to use his technological tools to prevent knowledgeable information a person can get through reading books, or going out and experience other world instead people has to follow firemen’s
instruction about prohibition of books. “He lay across the room from her, on a winter island separated by an empty sea”(41). Firemen created vast differences between husband and wife. Wife is totally under the control of firemen’s rules, while as being a fireman himself ready to revolt the society. Finally, the township where Montag is living is having an disadvantage of technology, like Mechanical Hound can inject medications to pacify people and uses its sniff to find out the person with the books. Television walls prevent individual thinking and always controls their brains. And last. That fire men destroy the houses, capture people who has a book. There are people in the society who know the important of knowledge, but they are few in numbers. It is a very sad phenomenon that to acquire knowledge, some time you have to scarifies even your life.